Avoiding a deaths of despair crisis in Australia: an examination of individual-level income and other risk factors

Sarah Gregor
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Sarah Gregor: Monash University

Warwick-Monash Economics Student Papers from Warwick Monash Economics Student Papers

Abstract: This paper documents an increase in rates of deaths from alcohol poisoning, drug overdose, and suicide—collectively referred to as deaths of despair—concentrated among socioeconomically vulnerable Australians aged 40 to 64. Our study is the first in Australia and abroad to link income to this mortality type at the micro-level. In our population-wide analysis covering the period 2007-2020, we associated economic deprivation, as measured by individual-level income, with rising rates of despair-related mortality. This largely contributed to marked increases in all-cause mortality rates for middle-aged males in the lower half of the income distribution. Low income was strongly related to deaths of despair. Even when accounting for income, education proved to be a particularly powerful predictor of this type of mortality. Risk was especially high if employment was unstable, involved physically demanding work, or lacked the potential for career growth. Through an economic lens, we reflect on the possible causes and consequences that have contributed to the deteriorating trends we identified.

Keywords: deaths of despair; socioeconomic status; income; health; inequality; life expectancy. JEL classifications: I140 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wrk:wrkesp:85

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